A administrative discharge from the military service other than via retirement is the military member's legal release from service in the armed forces. All discharge designations, whether honorable, dishonorable or anywhere in between, are considered administrative discharges. While retired reserve members may be called back to active duty, those voluntarily or involuntarily discharged from duty are released from their commitment. The type of administrative discharge a service member receives may dictate whether he or she is eligible to re-enlist in the same or another branch of the military.

What is an Administrative Discharge?

The types of administrative discharge a service member receives upon their release is listed on form DD-214. An honorable discharge means that the service member received good or excellent ratings for their service time, and are eligible to re-enlist. A dishonorable discharged service member will not be allowed to re-enlist under any circumstances. A number of other forms of administrative discharge may be exercised upon the service member's release, and the type of administrative discharge found in block 27 of the DD-214 form will determine whether he or she may re-enlist.

Army Reinlistment Eligibility

In order for a former service member in the Army to be eligible for immediate re-enlistment into the Army, the following codes will appear in block 27 of the DD-214 form: RE-1, RE-3, RE-4 or RE-4R. If the codes RE-1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 2B, 2C or 4A appear in block 27, the listed member is eligible for return after 93 days of separation, if otherwise qualified. If codes RE-2A, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3S or 3V appear in that space, the service member is ineligible to return without a waiver. Any other code appearing in block 27 means that the candidate is ineligible to return to service in the Army.

Navy and Coast Guard Reinlistment Eligibility

For a service member with an administrative discharge from the Navy or Coast Guard to be eligible for re-enlistment, one of the following codes will appear in block 27 of the DD-214 discharge papers: RE-1, 1E, 1R, 3J, 3M, 3X, 5, 6 and 7. If the DD-214 shows any of the following codes in block 27, the candidate must receive a waiver for re-enlistment: RE-3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3K, 3L, 3N, 3P, 3Q, 3R, 3S, 3T, 3U, 3Y and 3Z. If block 27 is marked with RE-2, 3V or 4, or any other code, the service member is not eligible to re-enlist in the Navy or Coast Guard.

Air Force Reinlistment Eligibility

In order for a service member in the Air Force to be eligible for immediate re-enlistment, any of the following codes will appear in block 27 of that member's DD-214 discharge form: RE-1, 1J, 1R, 1T, 2I, 3A, 3I and 3J. If any of codes RE-1A, 1K, 1M, 1P, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2J, 2K, 2L, 2M, 2N, 2P, 2T, 2U, 2X, 2Y, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3K, 4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 4G, 4H, 4I, 4J, 4K, 4L, 4M or 4N appear in block 27, the applicant must receive a waiver to be eligible to re-enlist. Any other codes that appear in block 27, including RE-2, 2B, 2G, 2H, 2Q, 2R, 2S or 2W, mean that the discharged service member is not eligible to re-enlist in the Air Force.

Marine Corps Reinlistment Eligibility

A Marine with an administrative discharge is eligible to re-enlist in the Marine Corps if that member's DD-214 displays R-1, 1A, 2A, 3A or 3U in block 27. A code of RE-1B, 1C, 2C, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 3H, 3J, 3N, 3O, 3P, 3R, 3S, 3T, 3V or 3W in block 27 means that the candidate must get a waiver in order to re-enlist. Any other code appearing in block 27, including RE-2, 2B or 4B means that the former Marine is ineligible to re-enlist.

How to Re-Enlist

Once you know your eligibility, check with the servicing career counselor for your chosen service branch to see what MOS, or military occupational specialties are available to you. If you find an MOS for which you are qualified, contact the Reenlistment and Reclassification office of your service branch of choice, or take your DD-214 to a local recruiter and discuss your available options. Reenlistment options may be dependent on the open positions of your service branch of choice, and there may be increased bonus levels for other open positions for which you may qualify that the branch needs to fill.

About the Author

Chris Baylor has been writing about various topics, focusing primarily on woodworking, since 2006. You can see his work in publications such as "Consumer's Digest," where he wrote the 2009 Best Buys for Power Tools and the 2013 Best Buys for Pressure Washers.